A nostalgic outdoor engagement session is by far the best way to describe this amazing shoot. Marissa and Johnny decided to have their engagement session at Moontower Saloon, the place where these two love birds first met. But, not only was this the place where they first met, it was also where they had their first date AND their first kiss. If that's not storybook worthy, I don't know what is!
I really had a great time photographing these two and even though the afternoon started out with a lot of rain and mud, by the time we were done it had turned into a beautiful evening. But I'm convinced that even if the weather didn't clear up, it still would have been an unforgettable outdoor engagement shoot! We were able to capture a lot of epic and very authentic moments between Marissa and Johnny and as if that wasn't enough, these two and the brilliant idea of having their friends hangout with them during their shoot. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun and did I mention that the friends hanging out with them were two of my favorite past engagement shoot clients, Heather and Alex?
Related: Rainey Street Engagement Session in Austin, Texas | Heather + Alex
Heather and Alex are actually the ones who told Marissa and Johnny about me which was a huge compliment and I loved being able to get some shots of them all together at the end of the shoot!
Before you jump into the photos, here’s what this happy couple had to say about working with me:
"I did not want to do a photo shoot. The date for our engagement photos crept closer and closer, and my anxiety about it climbed higher and higher. I did not want to do a photo shoot. I generally don’t like being in pictures. I hide behind others, or I simply look away. I just don’t like people up in my business, not that there is any business. I did not want to do a photo shoot. I did not want to sit on a couch that was floating in a lake. I did not want to ride a tractor through a derelict factory, not in a box, not with a fox, just no. But, I entertained the idea. I sucked it up and played along because it was important to my fiance, Marissa. It was also refreshing to have a photographer who was Vietnamese. I enjoy supporting local artists of color...especially my color. #ViEtPrYdE On the day of the shoot, Marissa, our chocolate lab Mr. Bean, and I drove down south to Moontower, where we first met. The parking lot was a muddy obstacle course. Tension was high as we both were stressing, and Mr. Bean was not making any of this easier because, you know, squirrel! We finally met. Nikk was much more laid back than I expected. It was like the Discover card commercials where the customer and the customer service rep are like long lost siblings, except I’m not as cool as he is. We had a great time. Nikk’s natural familiarity and warmth made the experience feel like it was just another lazy Sunday afternoon surrounded by close friends. A surprisingly brief time later, Nikk sent us our album. We were blown away. He captured expressions I didn’t even know the scientists had programmed into me. Nikk is a true master of his craft. Because of his ability to transform emotion into something tangible, I recognized that it wasn’t just what my fiance wanted. It was what I wanted all along. Thank you, Nikk Nguyen, for this gift and for your gift."
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